an aromatic liqueur, usually yellow or green, made by the Carthusian monks at Grenoble, France, and, at one time, at Tarragona, Spain.
(lowercase) a clear, light green with a yellowish tinge.
either of two liqueurs, green or yellow, made from herbs and flowers
a colour varying from a clear yellowish-green to a strong greenish-yellow
( as adjective )
a chartreuse dress
1865–70; < French, after La Grande Chartreuse, Carthusian monastery near Grenoble, where the liqueur is made
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It isn’t quite brat—more akin to the Yellow Chartreuse liqueur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
“There’s only so much Chartreuse you can make without ruining the balance of monastic life,” said the Rev. Michael K. Holleran, a former monk who oversaw Chartreuse production from 1986 to 1990.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
According to Chartreuse Diffusion, the business arm of the monks’ operation, it took more than 150 years for the Carthusians to “unravel the secret of the manuscript.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
“Growth for growth’s sake is nonsense for us,” said Emmanuel Delafon, president of Chartreuse Diffusion.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
This was like the light in Chartreuse liqueur, like the green flash, and I kept wondering, How did I escape?
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Where it’s not peeling off around the edges, it’s covered in chartreuse algae.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
As he moves deeper and finds scattered, malformed remnants of his past inside the chartreuse oblivion, Clark makes a Faustian pact with whatever entities are inside the Backrooms.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
Middeck, Dr. Becky appears in a chartreuse Good Inside sweatshirt—$55 on the Good Inside shop: “the perfect fit for your parenting journey,” according to the site.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
L.A.-based lifestyle brand Simon Miller’s first ever retail store brings a splash of chartreuse and sculptural flair to the Arts District.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025
Most startling of all, a splendid dark cartoon of a black eye was stamped in a ring on my eye socket, in the richest inks of Tyrian, chartreuse, and plum.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
